Layout question

Quick questions to those who have built:

Where are your batteries sitting?
Where is your oil cooler (if any)?

I see in pix that the CAV has the battery up
front and an oil cooler on the driver's side,
and I know ERA puts the battery in a cradle
in the driver's side, an an optional oil
coller can be placed there as well (or
maybe the batt is on the passenger side).
Does the RF have a battery cradle by the
engine as well? And where can an oil cooler
be put?

Thanks in advance,

Ian
 

Ron Earp

Admin
The battery on the RF is on the lefthand side of the car, behind the passenger (my car is right hand drive). I would think this a good location since it can offset driver weight for nice balance.

Ron
 
The CAV has a oil cooler? None I've seen including my own. That's the A/C condensor on the left side of the motor.
 
Wayne,

Forgot you had AC
smile.gif


I've had some conversations with Ken Saunders
from GT40 Enthusiasts, and there was a couple
of great articles in the newsletter talking
about oil coolers. It's something I definitely
want to explore, especially in Sacramento
grin.gif


I wonder then where RF puts the AC condenser?
Anyone know where ERA sticks the AC condenser?
I know Bob Putnam is reg'd. Where does ERA
recommend putting the oil cooler?

As usual, any advice and observations are most
welcome.

Ian
 
The condesor on the RFis in front of the radiator. I don't know where it is on the ERA.
 
G

Guest

Guest
As Ron mentions the baterry is in the left rear sill next to the engine, condensor in front of the radiator and there is pleny of room to put the oil cooler in the engine compartment behind one of the side scoops. Anyone seen a nice oil cooler that stands on its end?
 
G

Guest

Guest
Hi Ian
I had battery in my KVA next to starter motor underneath right side upper suspention link; I do not recommend this to anyone. Servicing was awful.
Better place for battery is somewhere in the front if there is place, or inside in the passenger´s footwell as in original race cars. (Weight distribution)

My oil cooler was located left side, so that fresh air can enter from left side vent bubble. I did not have a tranny cooler (ZF)
 
Our battery is in the rocker on the passenger's side, just in front of the rear wheel.

The air-conditioning condensor is in front of the radiator.

The oil-cooler(s) are mounted transversely on either side of the transaxle. A fan is mounted on each cooler, forcing air from inside the engine compartment through it and out the back louver area.
 
Ian,
My DRB from Australia was not built there and was completely stripped of the previous owners attempt at building, converted to Left hand drive and many under finished parts replaced with parts that would standup to racing needs. The battery is in the front compartment in front of the passenger seat.
Oil requirements included a remote placement of the oil filter to the drivers side above the axel and bolted to the trans housing. The fixture that holds the oil filter is one with 4 ports, of entry(2) and exit(2). This gave me places for the lines to the oil filter and back to the engine, courtesy of an adapter on the engine where the filter was originally. The other two ports afforded me, one, a direct line to the oil pressure gauge(actually an in line but it is not flow directed so it works perfectly for the pressure gauges). This line was divided to a second pressure gauge that was wired into the fuel pump wiring(more on that later). The outlet from the filter, before returning to the engine was plumed to a thermostat that on startup, returns oil to the engine. As it warms up it diverts the oil flow to a cooler that sits in the left body opening at the rear. This radiator has a puller fan mounted between the cooler and the stainless steel wire mesh that was placed on the outside of the body panel opening with a retaining cover. The second out port of the filter housing has a thermostat that would turn on the fan automatically. The fan at the cooler is also controlled by a switch at the dash . The switch is for backup in case the thermostat jams or becomes inoperative.
I also run an oil accumulator that holds 3 quarts of oil under a pressure of 50 lbs. The line from and to the accumulator is T'd into the return line to the engine. The return line must have a one way valve in the return line, after the thermostat and before the Accumulator line, . This is for when the oil from the acumulator is triggered. It makes sure oil isn't pumped backwards into the cooler.
The accumulator can be wired in two ways. It can be activated with the ignition switch so that when the key is turned to the run position, it will pre prime the engine with oil prior to starting. Probably better for an engine that has been sitting for some time and avoids a dry startup. The accumulator can also be wired to an oil pressure gauge so that if the oil pressure drops to under say 30 lbs., it will trigger the accumulator to pump the 3 quarts of oil into the engine to maintain pressure. Sometimes this is due to high G forces on the oil in turns which causes it to walk up the side walls in the oil pan, or the pickup rises out of the oil. Usually not a problem if the oil pan is baffled(think roll over). When the oil pressure returns to above 30lbs.(my oil pressure runs between 45-50lbs.), the extra oil is returned passively to the accumulator. If the oil pressure does not respond to the extra oil and falls to say 20 lbs. then the electrical system shuts the fuel pumps off in an attempt to save the engine(think roll over), or what is left of it(non rollover). The switch with the variables can be ordered at the time of purchase.
I have a AC compressor mounted on the drivers side of the motor but have not plumbed it into the car as I wanted to see if I really needed it. I don't. It is well insulated and air flow through the radiator is ducted to the twin nostrils and very little reaches the front firewall.
I added one other safety feature to my oil pressure setup. Instead of the wiring going to the ignition switch for pre priming of the engine(for startup), I have it wired to an on/off push button that acts like a bypass switch, so that when the fuel pressure pumps are turned on at the dash, prior to starting, they will run. Now remember, that If there is no oil pressure, they won't turn on(unless the bypass button is pressed) and for me that is a safety feature if someone attempts to steal/start the car.
I had a concern about only having one bay filled at the rear(oil cooler), so I plumbed the second bay with a second cooler for the trans. I have a 930 transaxel and the engineers say it is unneeded even in a racing scenario, but I wanted to even out the look, So it is wired with only a thermostat.

Bill
 
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